The Art of Salvaging
by Marine is hope2
Summary: After the war had ended, they had all found themselves changed, some for the better and some for the worse. Some found new companions and new hopes. Some were too broken to do anything but live in the past. And so, Jason found himself in a sort of solitude, with Nico di Angelo as his ever-present company. He can't bring himself to complain.
1. Art of Salvaging

Author's Notes:There is some content that might be sensitive to some readers. If you can not deal with PTSD, clinical depression, or thoughts of suicide, please do not read this. I'm making it sound worse than it is, but still, I don't want to upset anyone. If I did not handle anything well enough, please message me and I will try to fix it. Thank you!

The wedding had been a quiet affair with only the bride and groom, their family, and a handful of demigods present. Percy was bouncing on his heels at the altar, his face as giddy as a child in a candy shop. Jason had to admit that Annabeth was as beautiful as a goddess with her hair done up in an elegant bun; it shone like spun gold in the summer's sun. There was a radiant smile on her face as her father led her to the makeshift altar that the Athena and Hephaestus Cabins had carefully constructed out of sand before letting the Apollo kids take over to smooth out the detail work.

Piper, Thalia, Calypso, and Hazel looked gorgeous in their teal bridesmaid dresses. Piper managed to catch Jason's eye from where he had been standing. He was a groomsman. Her smile told him all that he needed to know with its content reassignment. The breakup had been mutual. After the war had ended, they had all found themselves changed, some for the better and some for the worse. Jason found himself thinking back to Cupid's words more and more. He tried to push them out of his mind, but they kept returning with frightening clarity. He grew distant. Piper hadn't been able to deal with it. They were still friends, close ones in fact. They were happier, and as a result, the group was ecstatic. They were all a huge bunch of co-dependent saps. They had resigned themselves to that fate the moment that they got back to camp.

Finally, the ceremony ended (It had been shorted in an attempt to help all of them deal with their ADHD, but they had still all ended up bored) and the party began. Dionysus had been put in charge of the alcohol, and thank the gods that he had: the drinks were amazing.

As Jason looked around the group that had been invited, he noticed that they were one person short. Where oh where was the Best Man? He sighed and walked out of the pavilion where the reception was taking place. He made his way down to the beach, kicking off his shoes and pulling up his pant-legs so that he could get his feet wet. He made his way around the bend.

Nico di Angelo was sitting in the sand, his toes curling into the soft golden grains. His dark eyes stared into the darkening sea as the sun went down, as if he was trying to figure out a complex puzzle. His suit was getting dirty, but he didn't seem to care. Jason bit his lip and moved to sit beside him. The son of Hades didn't even acknowledge his presence, he just continued to stare.

Jason sighed, "I'm sorry."

Nico blinked and the lines of his mouth seemed to be carved in marble. "What for?" He muttered his voice flat, without anger or bitterness. It was empty. Jason stayed silent.

_I'm sorry that you are hurt._

"I already told you that I am over him." It was clear that neither of them believed Nico's words.

_I'm sorry he chose her and not you._

"Percy's happy with her. That's all that I could ask for." Ah, there was the bitterness. It was back in full force, bleeding venom into Nico's words.

_I'm sorry that I can't help you._

Jason wanted to reach out and run his hands through those dark curls. He knew that Nico wouldn't appreciate it. The last thing that he wanted to happen was for Nico to run away again like he had after the war ended. After the battle with Gaea, they had won and Nico had disappeared for two years. Not even Hazel had known where he was. He had vanished, only to appear one day, fast asleep on Jason's couch. Jason should be appreciative that Nico thought to show himself to him first. He had just been shocked and appalled as he took in the state of his friend. It looked like he had crawled out of the Tartarus again, all pale flesh, skin and bones.

_I'm sorry that you've given up._

Nico had lost too much and gained too little. He had been barely surviving. The last straw had been at the party that Jason and Hazel had hosted in his return. Percy had proposed to Annabeth right after dinner. He had the nerve to get down on one knee at _Nico's _party in the middle of bringing out desserts. Jason had almost punched the son of Poseidon. The only reason that he hadn't was that there had been thin fingers curling around his arm. The only reason that he had stayed put were the fiery black eyes that were as sharp as onyx when a pale head shook minutely. Nico just watched as Percy laughed and kissed his fiancé with all the love that Nico would never obtain from him. He smiled at them. He smiled for them. When his smile began to falter, Nico went into Jason's guest room and had calmly shut the door.

That had also been the night that Piper and Jason had broken it off with each other. Jason still remembered the sad spark in Piper's kaleidoscope eyes when she took in the look on his face as he watched Nico depart. "It looks like you have someone more important to take care of." She had whispered into his ear, right before she kissed him one last time. He hadn't corrected her. She had been right. She was still right.

Jason looked up into the quickly darkening sky. The stars were coming out. He mapped out constellations in his mind. "Look there," He said, his voice soft, "It's Hercules." Nico's dull eyes looked up at the sky.

"He was a hero." He whispered.

Jason gave off a soft laugh, "Yeah, had a bit of a hard life, but he was."

"Most heroes have hard and depressing lives."

"I can't think of any that haven't."

"There is one." Nico said, his voice soft and cool and _alive_ for once, "Perseus." Jason winced at the name.

"Yeah," he whispered, "It's always Perseus, isn't it."

Most days are okay. Most days, Jason can get Nico to eat at least one meal and get out of bed before noon. Some days, he can even get him to smile. Those days are normally the days when Percy and Annabeth invite them both to have lunch or dinner with them in New Rome. Those days, Nico came alive in such a way that Jason almost forgot that it was only a well-crafted mask. It was all a charade to keep the two of them from worrying too much.

Those days were the days that made him forget. But for every good day there was at least one horrible. Ones where Nico couldn't even manage to bring himself to get out of bed. Jason would find himself looking down at the bleak black eyes that were staring up at him as Nico remains as still in the covers.

After the War, Apollo's Cabin had diagnosed many of the Greek and Roman warriors with PTSD. It was to be expected. They were all too young to be soldiers and many weren't even sure what they had been fighting for. Nico had been one of the worst cases. Post-traumatic stress disorder in combination with clinical depression. The Tartarus had done a number on him. Nico had left the night after Will Solance had checked him over.

Even now, years after the war, there are nights where Jason woke up to screams coming from the other side of the bed (they started sleeping in the same bed after the first night-terror, only a few days after Nico came back. It was only for comfort's sake, to make sure that they were never left alone with their own thoughts).

The night of Percy's wedding had been a restless one. Both of the men had difficulty falling asleep. After only about an hour of silence, Jason was awakened from an uneasy sleep by Nico's harsh breathing. He sighed and reached over to trail a hand down the Ghost King's arm. Nico's breath hitched and eyes opened to reveal dilated pupils and wet eyelashes. Jason just looked down sadly at the other teen. There was a tense moment of hesitation before Nico reached a hand to tug weakly at Jason's faded SPQR shirt. The former praetor leaned down and wrapped his arms around the much smaller body. Nico was still too thin. He was shaking. Jason could only nuzzle the Italian boy as Nico started to curse himself and his weaknesses in his old language. He waited until Nico began to try to break out of the embrace.

"Let me go. ¡Lasciami andare! Jason, please, I'm already enough of a coward! D-Don't—"

"Stop, stop, Nico, you're not. You're one of the bravest people I know. One of the strongest too. Please, stop talking. Just be still." Jason tightened his hold on the boy (Was he really only seventeen? That wasn't possible. He seemed so much older. Too old). He could only bury his face in the other's hair when Nico began to weep, silent and angry at the world, at Jason, and himself. Jason pretended not to notice. He just started to hum a lullaby that Nico had once taught him on one of the good days. He had said that Bianca had sung it to him when he was little.

Nico gradually calmed down. His tears dried slowly. His grip tightened on Jason's shirt. As Jason was falling into Morpheus's realm, he heard the words that made his blood go cold.

"I wish that I had been in the hotel with Mama."

Jason didn't know what he could say. He had saved so many people. He was both camps' golden-boy. He was the demi-god version of superman. The only person that he couldn't save was the only one that mattered at this point. He pressed a kiss to Nico's temple, but Nico was already asleep.

And so, life went on. They managed. They survived. Jason headed off to college. Nico followed him to USC like an ever present shadow. Jason majored in philosophy and had hopes in going into law. Nico surprised them all by majoring in Human Biology and eyed the pre-med track with a wary appreciation. All that he would say on the matter was that it would keep him busy. After the first semester, he was volunteering at a local hospital. A part of Jason hoped that he was doing all this so that they could keep each other going in graduate school. He did not voice these hopes. They rented a small apartment with only one bed. Frank and Hazel settle down in a small apartment near them. The couple was happy together, which made Nico happier.

Percy and Annabeth had their first child right when Jason and Nico were ending their second year. They named her Andromeda. She had her mother's sharp eyes and pointed chin. She had her father's hair and smile. Nico instantly adored her. Jason knew this when he saw the way that Nico's eyes softened ever so slightly the moment that he saw her. They stood just outside the hospital room, waiting for Hazel and Frank to get coffee, looking in on the happy scene with fond expressions. Leo and Calypso were coming in from Oregon. Reyna was traveling from Camp Half-Blood, where she was acting as an ambassador. Piper was arriving on a plane from New York City in about two hours. Jason nudged Nico's shoulder, "Why don't you ask to hold her?" Jason muttered.

Nico didn't say anything. He just looked slightly sick as stepped into the room, as quiet as a mouse. Percy looked up at him with a joyful expression. He looked so happy that Nico had decided to come. He motioned for the younger man to come over. Very slowly, Annabeth relinquished her hold on her newborn daughter to her husband. Percy kissed her sweaty-ridden curls in gratitude as he placed Andromeda into Nico's arms. For the first time in a long time, Nico's lips twitched upward; a smile so ecstatic that Jason had to fight to keep a smile from his own face. He lost that battle.

Nico looked up at Percy, curious and so hesitant that Jason's smile became a grin. Percy glanced at Annabeth, who nodded as if urging him to do something. He sat down on the floor beside Nico's chair. "Nico," Percy said, his voice unsure for one of the first times in forever, "We were wondering if you would like to be her godfather."

Something flickered in those black eyes. Jason could see the hurt, amazement, wonder, terror, and _love_ so clearly that he wondered how Percy missed them all. Nico's nod was barely noticeable and something in it made Jason's heart flutter. He walked in, passed an analyzing Annabeth and an oblivious Percy to stand beside Nico. Their hands weren't touching but it was clear that if one going to be placed in charge of another being's life, the other would be protecting it as well.

Later that night, when Nico and Percy had fallen asleep in chairs and Jason was nodding off beside Nico, Annabeth called out Jason's name. Her voice was soft but sure of herself because she was Annabeth: she knew every single thing that she was doing. She had made calculations in her gifted brain and figured out all of the possible outcomes. Jason jerked to attention and looked over at the woman. She motioned for him to come closer. "You know why we did it, don't you?" Jason tilted his head, not wanting to speak and risk waking either of the men or the baby. Annabeth chuckled. "Perce sleeps like a rock and I'm pretty sure Andromeda inherited that from him. I'm not sure about Nico, but I think you're safe to whisper."

Jason licked his lips, "I'm not sure what you mean." He said.

Annabeth looked up at the ceiling. "I figured Nico out about two weeks after he left the battle. I was thinking back to the battlefield and then I remembered… when I saw him fighting, it was always defending someone else's back. There were three people he kept circling. Three people he could not let get hurt. One was Hazel, which was obvious: she is his sister. Another was you, which I thought wasn't too odd; something had gone on between you two that made you closer. He trusts you enough to deem you worthy of his protection." Here was where Annabeth took a breath, "Then… then there was the last person."

"Percy." Jason said for her when it looked like she was having a hard time getting the name out.

Annabeth smiled at him. It was a bitter and crooked little thing. "Yeah," She breathed, "It was Percy. It was never me that he had a crush on at all. Hades, I felt stupid for thinking that for months. After all, it had been clear if you knew that signs. But, you know, hubris and all. It made me think that I was the center of attention."

"Does Percy—"

"No." Annabeth's voice was sharp, "He doesn't know. I never told him and he's too oblivious to even think of such things. Not that he's against it in any way." She wiggled her way down into the blankets until she was nearly buried. "Help me, Jason." She whispered. "I feel horrible. I want for it to only be us. I want to be the only one in Percy's heart. But… but then I look at Nico and…" She trailed off.

"The last thing that Nico would want is your pity."

"I don't want to pity him, I want him to be _happy_!" Annabeth glared at Jason with those sharp eyes of hers.

Jason looked over at where Percy and Nico were still fast asleep. Andromeda was cradled in Percy's arms. She was clinging to Nico's fingers. "I think that you just gave him that chance." He said, walking over to Nico to straighten out the son of Hades's jacket. Annabeth watched him.

"Oh." She whispered, "_Oh_. You and him—"

"It's not what you think."

"I wouldn't be against it. Percy wouldn't be either."

"Your opinion isn't the one that matter's the most." Jason said, brushing at dark bangs before stepping away.

Annabeth nodded, "He's still afraid of himself, isn't he?"

"He hates himself."

"He cares for you… more than you think. I'm sure of it."

"Not even I want to be a substitute, Annabeth." The daughter of Athena went quiet at Jason's words. Her lips were drawn tightly together and she was looking down at her folded hands.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"For what?" Jason said.

_Him._ The word that was left unsaid filled the air. Jason went back to Percy's seat. He carefully lifted Andromeda and placed her into her mother's arms.

Nico spent more and more time with the Jacksons after that. Jason came too, looking after the Italian the way that a bodyguard would look after his prince. The horrible days became few and far between. They stilled happened, but instead of once every week, it was once every month. Jason couldn't be happier for Nico. If only he could say the same about himself.

One night, when Percy and Annabeth were out eating with Sally and Paul, Nico was baby-sitting Andromeda. Jason was sitting at the table, contemplating banging his head on the mahogany. There was no way that the words that he was reading were in English. No way. It was in some alien language that consisted of scribbles and philosophical jargon.

Jason sighed and closed the book with a bit more force than necessary. It made Nico jerk to attention. He had been sitting in the living room with Andromeda in his lap, surrounded by a sea of anatomy notes. They had all been highlighted to the point of looking like a rainbow. "Jason?" He called over to the blond.

"What?" Jason's voice was thick and he shielding his eyes from view. Nico immediately got to his feet, placed Andromeda in her carrier, and hurried over. He took in the way that Jason's fingers trembled ever so slightly as well as the way that he bit at his bottom lip. Now, normally, it was Nico that would have these bouts of self-hatred. But they weren't excusive. Even Percy and Annabeth got them at times. All of them would, at times, look down at what they were doing and thing, _'What the hell am I doing?'_ It came with the territory of saving the whole world when you were a teenager and then being forced to adapt to normal life with a normal job too quickly.

Nico walked up behind the son of Jupiter, careful not to make sudden movements. Jason was as protective of his back as Percy was. It was a blind spot, an area of weakness that shouldn't be there because Jason was supposed to be _perfect_. Gently, Nico put a hand on Jason's shoulder. It was a trial because, even after all of this time, Nico still was hesitant to initiate physical contact. He was even more fearful of people trying to touch him. Jason let out a long sigh and leaned into the touch. When he reopened his eyes, they were dry and calmer. He looked at where Andromeda's carrier was. "Go back to your work. I'm okay."

"No, you're not."

"Go anyway. I'll be fine." It took Nico a minute to do as Jason pleaded. He padded back over to his make-shift nest of articles on pelages and metacarpals, circled around it twice, and sat back down. He continued to watch Jason out of the corner of his eye. Once he had assured himself that Jason was at least semi-alright, he dragged the carrier over to his spot. He began to rock the carrier with one of his feet.

Jason watched him, not even trying to go back to his work. "You're so good with her." He said, putting his pencil down to simply gaze at the other man. Nico tilted his head, putting his pen down. It's as if he was expecting Jason to say more. Jason regretted saying anything. "You'd be a good dad." He didn't see it, there a twitch of Nico's lips. They began to pull upward at the ends, almost against Nico's will. Jason continued, "When you find someone, you could have a family of your own, you know."

Something flickered in Nico's expression at those words. The smile that had been forming immediately disappeared. "Why would I want to find anybody else?"

Jason tilted his head to the side, confused, "You should at least look for someone, Nico. You shouldn't want to be alone forever."

"I have y—" Nico's face crumbled. The shadows of the room began to flicker and lengthen until the entire den was dark. When it lightened again, both Nico and Andromeda were gone. Jason immediately jumped to his feet. The door to the master bedroom slammed shut. Jason started to walk down the hallway. "Go away, Grace. I don't want to talk to you." Nico's voice was empty as an abandoned house.

"What did I do?" Jason asked, completely confused.

A tremor ran through the earth, nearly making Jason fall over. "You're no different!" Nico's voice was loud enough to seem amplified. "No different than any of them! You promised that you would stay for as long as I needed! Yet-yet—"

"Nico, I don't know what you are talk about!"

"GO AWAY!" Another tremor, this time larger, shook the house. Jason caught a photograph that was about to fall onto the hardwood floor. He placed it back on the counter and began to put his books into his backpack.

About two hours later, Piper (who had just gotten back to New Rome and had been expecting a nice, relaxing evening) found a very distraught son of Jupiter at her door. Both Leo and Calypso were there to help her unpack and were peering curiously out of the kitchen. Leo let out a low whistle when he took in Jason's state. "You okay, man?"

Jason just buried his head into Piper's shoulder. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What happened, Jay?"

"Nico, who else?" Leo said. Calypso shushed him by hitting him over the head. Jason threw him a half-hearted glare and began to explain the situation.

"And then I left, just like he asked." Jason finished, helping himself to another cookie that Calypso had baked. Calypso was busy putting pots of moonlace around the apartment. Leo was tinkering with something in his lap. Piper looked like she had indigestion.

"Jace, you know that I adore you and would never say anything bad about you, right?"

"Um, sure?"

"You are an idiot." She didn't even let him defend himself. She held up a hand and continued, "How long have you and Nico been living together? Two years?"

"Three, but—" Even Calypso's eyes widened at that statement, but Piper cut them off too.

"Okay, Jason, listen here, because I am only going to say this once. At first, we were expecting Nico to try to kill you when you wouldn't leave him alone. But he didn't. After about a month of gritted teeth and praying to our parents, we took a collective breath and revaluated the situation. At first, you two's absolute obliviousness to each other's feelings was cute. Then we got into the second year. It started getting hopeless."

"What do you mean by feelings , I—"

"Jace, you share a double bed with a boy who refuses to be touched by anyone else and has the social skills of road-kill. I am the daughter of Aphrodite; I know romantic relationships when I see them."

Here was where Jason gave a small, almost defeated smile, "I'm not the one that he wants, Piper."

Piper's eyes flashed and she pulled him out of the room, "Look," Here she used his full name, and he had to admire her dedication, because his father didn't even know it, "A part of him may still be in love with Percy, you're right, but it seems to me like he is trying to move on. First loves are always hard to get over. Most people end up carrying at least some of those feelings with them for the rest of their life. I know that I will." Her eyes were wet, but they were hard and determined. Jason wanted to hug her again, but he knew that she probably wouldn't appreciate that. Piper smiled, "Now, you need to go back to him and apologize."

"What did I even do?"

"You insinuated that you wouldn't be together forever."

"Will we?"

"Maybe," Piper sighed, "Nico has abandonment issues that are a mile wide, Sparky, and for good reason. He picks two or three people that he will all but refuse to leave unless they tell him to."

"And I told him to, didn't I?"

"In a twisted way, yeah."

Jason groaned, running a hand through his blond hair.

The apartment was dark when Jason got back. It was also as quiet as a grave. Jason hung up his jacket and walked into the kitchen. He turned on the light, halfway expecting for Nico to just be waiting there in the dark. There was no one at the table. There was no one in the living room. Jason bit at his bottom lip, shivering at the cold. Had he turned the heat down before he left?

Shoulders slumping, the blond walked down the short and narrow hallway to the bedroom. The door was cracked ever so slightly. The little light that that managed to get through showed Jason a room in disarray. Pictures were broken, clothes were lying all about the room and drawers were off their hinges. Nico's mirror had been shattered some of the pieces glinted red. There was a prone form on the bed. Jason rushed into the room with all the tact of a bull in a china-shop. Cold terror had flooded his brain as he reached for his sword.

Something rushed by his right cheek, leaving a burning sensation. Nico was sitting up in bed, his eyes hard and faded. Jason raised a shaky hand to his cheekbone, feeling warm liquid trail down his fingers. When he brought his hand away from his face he saw crimson. He turned back to Nico, shock in his eyes. Nico remained rooted where he was, his skin paler than normal and is eyes wide. Carefully, with far more concentration than necessary, Nico rose to his feet. He swayed where he stood, "I-I thought you," He gave off a small hiccup, "I thought you weren't coming back."

"You're drunk." Jason said, almost dumbstruck. He could count the number of times that Nico got drunk on one hand. All of them were the anniversary of Percy's return to camp when Nico was ten. Nico just scowled at him, swaying where he stood. He raised his hand, and began to mutter something inaudible in Italian. Jason was more focused on the gash that went from one side of Nico's palm to the other. He briskly closed the distance in between them and held up Nico's fist for closer examination. It was too dark to see anything.

It was only when Jason managed to all but drag Nico into the small bathroom that he noticed that the boy's eyes were puffier than normal and red. Jason rubbed his thumb across the young man's face, starting at the bridge of the nose and sweeping outward. He felt the sticky, slightly damp residue before Nico pulled away with a frown. He proceeded to glare at Jason as the blond examined the wound. Thankfully, it wasn't a deep cut. Probably no deeper than the one on his face, which was no more than a scratch. It had only bled a lot because Nico wouldn't stop moving. Jason wrapped an arm around Nico's waist, and placed him on the sink countertop. He got out the peroxide and the first-aid. He quickly fixed himself up before turning his attention to Nico.

Nico pulled away from the peroxide's sting, before returning to glare heatedly at Jason's head as the son of Jupiter began to wrap the cut in gauze. Jason kept his eyes focused on his work; he was reluctant to start this conversation. Nico was quiet for a minute longer, and then he opened his mouth. "I thought you had, hic, left, Grace."

Jason continued to wrap the bandage around Nico's wrist and fingers, "No," he said, "I haven't."

"But you will," Here, Nico's voice turned both dull and sharp and Jason winced, "Everyone always does."

"I promise you that I won't." Jason looked up to meet hazed black eyes that were clearly a very dark brown in the light. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I wasn't clear on what I meant." Nico tilted his head to the side, his entire body following him into the gesture, nearly knocking him off balance.

"What did you meant—mean to say?"

Jason looked back down at the dressed wound, "That I want for you to have someone who you can trust, and who will help you when you need it." He stopped again, steeling his nerves, "And that, if you want, I am willing to be that person."

There was silence; all that filled it was Nico's attempts at calm breathing. There was a splattering of red across his cheeks. He swallowed. "Prove it." He choked out, his hands folding together in such a way that must have been painful.

That threw Jason in for a loop, because if there was one thing that he had learned while living with Nico di Angelo for three years, it was as to respect personal space. So, very, very slowly, without making any sudden movements, he took the Italian's face in his hands. He let his eyes scan over the almost eerily beautiful features, before they settled on dark lips. Nico shuffled around on the counter-top, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.

"Hurry," he hiccupped again, "up." He snapped, trying to look away from the dark blue eyes that could literally see everything that he was thinking. He felt Jason's left thumb skate across his cheekbone as the blond demigod leaned in. Nico could nearly feel sparse hairs on Jason's cupid's bow. He began to close his eyes.

"Are you sure it's okay… if it's me?" Jason whispered, his breath hot on Nico's lips. Jason watched as Nico's eyes flew open, as his expression turned dark. The smaller man pushed the son of Jupiter away with all of his might, only to grab the front of his t-shirt. Nico dragged himself up to the other man, craning his neck up, crashing their lips together in an unexpectedly passionate way that had Jason's head swimming.

There was no movement for a minute, until Jason realized that Nico had no idea what he was doing. Slowly, carefully, Jason began to move his lips, reaching up shakily to run a hand through black waves. Nico's hands were fisted in Jason's shirt, his knuckles were nearly white. Jason smiled slightly into the kiss, leaning down so that Nico could get more comfortable. One of his arms snuck around to Nico's waist to pull him closer. The Ghost King shifted before widening his legs just a few inches to let Jason settle in between them. Jason bit the bullet and gave Nico's bottom lip an experimental lick. Nico jumped, opening his mouth in hesitant invitation. Jason couldn't help but to smile in the kiss.

He felt Nico's hands begin to travel up his neck to intertwine around his neck as he deepened the kiss. Nico began to tremble when Jason's tongue met his own. His fingers tugged gently at blonde locks. A quiet moan lit the air with tension. Jason could feel Nico's long fingers travel down his back only to dip underneath his shirt to feel the hard muscles beneath it. It was his turn to let out a soft sigh of pleasure at the exploring digits. There was no way that this was going to end well if they kept this up. Nico was drunk. Nico was drunk and was more than likely, not going to be happy tomorrow morning. He would probably panic and run if he woke up next to Jason naked and sore.

That thought sobered Jason up immediately. He brought his hands up to Nico's cheek and slowed the kiss. If the muffled protests and fervent nips were anything to go by, Nico was not happy with this progression. "Jason," he _whimpered_ (Oh yes, Nico was completely smashed, no way on Demeter's green earth would he whimper voluntarily). "_Jace_—" His hands curled around the back of Jason's neck.

Jason broke off the kiss reluctantly; he pressed their forehead together so that he could look straight into deep brown eyes, eyes that were misted but at the same time so genuine. "We can't keep this up, Nico." Man, his voice was _wrecked._ How long had they been kissing?

Nico giggled, a wide smile edging up his lips in a way that was as beautiful as it was just plain weird. "But you are back, Jason, il mio cielo, il mio amore." Jason wasn't sure if the swooping feeling in his gut was due to the fact that Nico was all but purring Italian to him, or the fact that he figured out what those words meant. Either way, he couldn't help but press a gentle kiss to the tip of Nico's nose.

The Italian smiled and clung to Jason's jacket. The blond returned his smile, hesitant to do anything that would break them out of the trance that they were in. "We should go to bed." He whispered.

Nico's eyes widened, "Propositioning me before our first, hic, date, Jason Grace? My, I didn't know that you had it in you." His smile widened to a tipsy grin, "Fine, hic, do what you will to me, Don Giovanni."

"There will be no 'doing' of anybody tonight if I have anything to say about it." Jason mumbled to himself, his face flushed red. Nico raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him.

"Even so, you are going to have to carry me where you want for me to go." He hiccupped and swayed, "After all, yur—you are one of the reasons I'm like this." He yawned as Jason winced.

"I'm sorry." The blond whispered.

Nico frowned, "Don't apologize for something _you_ have limited control over." He proceeded to wrap his arms tighter around Jason's neck and buried his face in his shirt. "Like I said before, everyone always leaves."

"I won't. I promise you, I won't."

The morning light was harsh to Jason's eyes. He groaned, and pulled the covers tighter around himself. He reached beneath them, trying to find Nico, because the smaller man was a furnace when he slept. All he felt was cold mattress. Jason shot up in bed, his eyes alert and his hair wild. The shower was on. While that eased some of his panic, it did nothing to alleviate it. He threw the covers off and shakily stood up. It only took him three steps to get to the bathroom door and once he was there, he knocked incessantly. "Go away, Grace." Nico responded, his voice a dismal reminder of how he had been when Jason had left the Jackson's house.

"Nico, I'm going to come in, okay?" When there was no answer, Jason opened the door. Steam came rushing out. Nico was sitting on the bath mat, his back resting against the shower curb. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them. His face was hidden from view. "Nico," Jason whispered.

"Don't." The Ghost King _hissed_, "Don't talk to me right now."

"What did I do? What can I do to fix it? I—"

"It's fine."

"No it's not! If it was then you wouldn't be hiding in the bathroom!" Jason reached out to lift Nico's chin so he could see his eyes.

"It was a mistake!" Nico shouted, recoiling from Jason's touch. "A big damn bloody mistake, I know! I know, alright?! I get it! Who the fuck would want to be with a person who is not only a son of Hades, but is also a frocio?!" At the last word, he broke down, drawing in upon himself like a child expecting to be hit. "I get it," He said, his voice cracking, "I understand. Just… just go away."

Jason just came closer until he was kneeling in front of the other man. "Do you remember what I said last night?" Black eyes met his with a hesitance and fear that he had only seen in them twice before. "I want to be that person, Nico."

"_Why_?" The question sounded so puzzled, so absolutely bewildered that Jason had to grimace.

"Because I am just as messed up as you are." At that statement Nico scoffed and looked like he was going to start arguing when Jason held up a hand. "I am." He whispered, "I literally need to have someone beside me at all times, someone who can look at me and remind me that I am not supposed to be perfect. If I don't, I'll forget that and beat myself up whenever I do something wrong." He took a deep breath and continued, "When I look at you, I don't see another nameless person who I need to save and keep safe. I-I mean, I want you to stay safe, but… I don't need to show off around you because you can see through that. You're just… you, and I care about you. I want to stay here, with you. I never want to let you go." When he finished talking, he found that Nico was shaking.

"You don't know what you are getting into, you—"

"Have lived with you for close to three years and have found nothing wrong enough to make me even think of leaving."

"Damn it, Grace," There was a desperate and pleading glint in Nico's eyes. "Don't make me be the one. My name is tarnished enough as it is. Don't make me be the one who will live on in infamy as the man who led the camps' golden boy astray. Don't make me have to deal with more sneers and disgusted looks. Please."

Jason had to smile just a little at that, "You aren't leading me anywhere, Nico. The only disgusted looks that people are sending you are the ones who have realized that you have worn that jacket of yours for about ten years now."

Nico jumped up, his eyes flashing with a manic glint, "You think this is funny, Grace?! You, you—"

"I'm trying to get you to relax." Jason cut him off, "I mean, in Jupiter's name, Nico, we live in a Greco-Roman society. All of the famous heroes were bi at least! Most of the gods have had homosexual relationships! Come on, look at my dad! He kidnaped a baby and made him into his boy-toy who occasionally filled his wine goblet because he was pretty! No one is judging you for being what you are, expect yourself!"

Nico just stood there, staring down at the blond. His lips moved but no sound came out. His arms came back up to wrap around his torso. "H-How can you be so _open_ about it?"

Jason sighed and got to his feet, "I'll be the first to admit that you have every right to be afraid. I've read about how Fascist Italy dealt with people who were fearless enough to love who they loved. I can't comprehend it all, but I can sympathize with you at least." He walked up to the Italian. He ran his thumb down Nico's cheekbone until it rested at the corner of his lip. This time Nico didn't pull away or yell. He just stood there, transfixed. "But you have to realize, this is not then. Our world, while not perfect, is far different. It's more accepting. If you don't want to go public, fine. If you don't even want to be in a relationship, I'll understand. I'll give you some space. But, just, please, realize that this time is different and stop tearing yourself up for being who you are. It hurts _me _to see you like this."

"I'm too broken, Jason. I can't even make myself eat some days. The only reason that I haven't ended it all is because I am terrified of death. Can't you see that?" Nico mumbled, all the fight his features. All that was left was sadness and perhaps just a glimmer of hope.

Jason breathed out a small sigh, "I know. I also know that I can't fix you. I still want to try, though. Maybe we can salvage something."

Nico just continued to stare at Jason as though the blond man was an angel that he could see but not comprehend. "You want to try?"

"That is what I just said." Jason said, a small and hopeful smile gracing his lips. Once again, it was Nico who bridged the gap between them.

Everyone was taking part in the annual Jackson Christmas Party. Leo, with the help of Travis and Conner Stoll, had managed to spike the eggnog twice, much to Calypso's annoyance. Clarisse la Rue was sharing war-stories with Frank, who had joined the army last fall. Hazel was helping Annabeth by putting up last minute decorations. Piper had surprised everyone by arriving with Renya, who she kissed passionately the minute that she got her underneath one of the mistletoe traps that Grover and Jupiter had set up.

When Nico and Jason appeared at the door, everyone went quiet. There was still a bit of tension in the air from the last meeting a week ago. Nico looked at everyone in the eye, almost defiant. In a quick blink and you miss it moment, he pecked Jason on the cheek before going to find Percy to make sure he wasn't burning the food. Jason blushed when everyone began to cheer.

"Well," Piper said, "Aren't you two the life of the party?" She nudged Jason with a smile. He grinned at her.

"Wait for next year. I'm planning to propose to him to give Jackson a taste of his own medicine. I'll have already done it privately and run the plan by him, of course."

Piper could only laugh as she watched Nico drag Jason off to find Andromeda again. "Of course." She muttered to herself as she leaned against Reyna.


	2. Art of Creating

If there was one thing that Jason Grace loved about evenings, it was laying spread-eagle on the couch with Nico curled up on top of him. He adored the way that no matter what they were doing at the start of it, they would end up just staying in that position, completely quiet. He enjoyed the fact that he could freely run his hands up Nico's sides, or draw little circles with his thumbs on Nico's hipbones. Most of all, he was thrilled at the small smile that always crawled its way onto Nico's features during this time.

On one such evening, Nico had been studying his notes from his anatomy lab while Jason pretended to watch TV over his head. In reality, he was busy watching the other boy memorize his writings. Nico's Italian side came out when he was studying. He'd hurriedly whisper words to himself not noticing that his hands were following the tone of his voice, gesturing and moving around fervently. Jason could only smile to himself as Nico finally slowed down enough to realize that the other demigod was grinning.

"What?" He asked his voice tired and more than slightly petulant.

"You're amazing, angelo."

Nico scrunched up his face and blushed ever so slightly, "No word puns. Togliti la camicia."

Jason had to think about that one for a minute, "Did you just tell me to take off my shirt?"

"Yes. I need a body."

"Why don't you ask one of your many cadaver-grade subjects?"

"Grace…" Nico growled, though there was almost a playful glint in his eyes.

Jason's smile widened as he shuffled up the couch so that he could sit up. He took a bit more time than necessary in taking off the offending garment. He watched Nico out of the corner of his eye. He took note of the other man's dilating pupils and fiddling hands.

Feeling particularly devious, Jason gave a small yawn and stretched before scooting back down to join his lover. Nico blushed and looked down at his fingers, which now rested far too close to Jason's crotch for comfort. He took in a shaky breath and wiggled back into place. He began to map out the muscles and bone structures, starting at the neck and working his way down to the lower torso. Jason could only close his eyes and enjoy the feathery-light touches as they worked lower and lower. He listened to the mumbled whispers that Nico uttered ever so often. He frowned when none of them made sense. He lifted a hand and brushed his fingers across Nico's cheek. The dark haired Italian jumped, looking up with an annoyed glare at being broken out of his reverie.

"You're talking in Italian again." At Jason's words, Nico cursed and rested his head against the planes of Jason's stomach. After about a minute, it was clear that he wasn't going to move again. He just turned his head to the side and slid up Jason's body. The room was quiet for a moment before Jason realized that Nico was listening to his heart.

He rested a hand against dark curls and looked into even darker eyes. "Is everything alright?" He questioned.

"As right as it can be." Nico muttered, though even his voice sounded strained and stressed. He hadn't been sleeping well. He had gone without a night-terror for twelve days. It was a new record.

However, over the past few days, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to go back to sleep. The only reason the Jason knew about it was because he would wake up periodically to gentle fingers combing through his hair. Jason knew that Nico had been cramming for the MCAT, just as much as Jason had been studying for the LSAT. He hoped that stress was causing the insomnia and not dreams. They both needed a break from the mythical world. They needed time off from everything really, which was why Jason was so thrilled that it was winter break.

"Nico?" The moment that the smaller man looked up again, Jason slotted their lips together. Nico let out a shaky sigh and relaxed just a tiny bit. His hands came up to grip at Jason's short hair. He nipped at Jason's lower lip, smirking at the low moan that he got in response. Jason licked at the seams of Nico's mouth, growling softly when the Italian opened his lips slightly. He ran his tongue across surprisingly crooked teeth before tentatively letting their tongues touch. Nico let out a gasp that might have concealed a moan as Jason's fingers crept down his back and under his shirt. Jason opened his eyes to gaze at the smaller man. Nico's irises were barely visible as he stared down at the former praetor with a small smile that held more secrets than Jason could ever know. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to. He just reached up and trailed a hand down the other's face, smiling softly before he began to nibble at Nico's earlobe. "I love you." He muttered as he nosed his way down to Nico's neck to suck at his collarbone. A shutter ran through Nico's body and he tilted his head back to give Jason more room.

"Ti amo." He gasped out, trying to keep his voice calm and collected, but failing. He felt Jason smile as the blonde's fingers dipped below the hem of his sweatpants. He nodded slightly when Jason's face took on a questioning expression. When Jason didn't move, Nico ground his hips down, reveling in the jolt of pleasure that the action sent up his spine. That seemed to be enough to convince Jason. With extreme gentleness, he flipped them over and began the short work of unzipping Nico's sweatshirt. Soon, the jacket joined Jason's t-shirt on the floor. Jason gave Nico a grin as he let his hand travel even lower to grasp Nico around the hilt. He smiled as Nico let out a low, reverberating moan and—

"Whoa! Zeus's holy sandals, guys, really?!" Conner Stoll's voice sent the two of them jumping apart while Travis began to belt out the first couple of lines of _Bad Romance_. Nico looked like he was about to kill the Stoll brothers. Jason put a hand on his arm and sat up. Even though he looked calm, it was clear to Nico that Camp Half-Blood was about to get one hell of a thunderstorm if the sons of Hermes didn't have a good reason for intruding.

"What do you want?" The blonde ex-soldier growled, running a hand through his hair.

The brothers, who had moved on to dueting _Wreaking Ball_, immediately sobered up. It was interesting to see just how much they had been forced to grow up once Chiron asked them to help him run the camp. Conner was the one who spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically grave, "There's a half-blood near you guys, in LA."

"We were wondering if you could get her. Normally, we wouldn't ask you but—"

"Reyna's here with Piper,"

"And Percy and Annabeth visiting Percy's mom in New York with their daughter,"

"And Hazel and Frank are in Canada,"

"And we don't want to mess with Valdez. He's on one of his engineering binges and told us not to disturb him."

"Where is she?" Nico asked, his eyes taking on a grave edge.

"From what Clint, the satyr that has been watching over her said, somewhere in Chinatown. He lost sight of her." Here, Travis stopped, looking hesitant. "Just, if his reports are anything to go by, you need to be careful. There's apparently a whole host of creepy-crawlies looking for this girl."

"Who's her parent?" Jason said, that last part putting him on edge.

Conner shrugged, "We have no idea. She hasn't started showing off any characteristics yet. Monsters are just showing up out of the wood work."

Jason gazed at Nico out of the corner of his eye. He took in the way that the son of Hades bit at the corner of his bottom lip, as well as the way his eyes flickered down to the skull ring that his father had given him. Jason understood the worry. There was one main reason that monsters would attack a demigod before their powers showed up and it had to do with their godly parentage. "We'll find her." Nico said. Conner and Travis visibly relaxed.

"Thank the gods. We'll send someone to pick her up from you as soon as we possibly can. Thanks again, guys! Clarisse will be thrilled!" Travis said.

Nico scoffed, "There's no need to send someone here. I can bring her to you within the hour." Both of the brothers looked thrilled at that.

"The girl's name is Emily Thomason; she's small with short dark hair. She has a Mickey Mouse backpack." Connor continued.

Jason nodded before sweeping his hand through the mist. He looked over at Nico, who threw him his shirt. "Get changed, I'll go get the swords." The Italian said, his eyes gleaming. Before he could wonder off, Jason wrapped a hand around his arm. Nico looked up with a troubled expression. Jason kissed him gently. Nico was the one to pull away. As he walked away, Jason threw on his shirt and stuffed his feet in his shoes.

It took them all of three seconds to get to the Gates of Chinatown. Nico looked ill when he took in all of the people milling about. He tugged his coat tighter as he looked at the lanterns and festive lights. "What is all this?"

"Consumerism at its finest. It's Christmas time. People are rushing around trying to get the best deals. Or they are just having a good time on vacation." Jason said as he took the man's hand, ran his thumb over Nico's knuckles in an attempt to calm him, and led him into the crowd of people.

"How in Hades are we supposed to find a little girl in a place like this?" Nico hissed as he distrustfully eyed the crowd. A son of Vulcan was performing as a fire-eater. There was a large gathering around him. Jason even stopped short to watch him as he breathed out a cloud of fire that morphed into a Chinese dragon. The large red and golden beast made Nico cringe into Jason as people cheered before it disappeared into smoke. "There are too many people." The son of Hades muttered.

"Look for monsters."

"Why, so we can fight them in the air? Grace, there's no room."

"We'll find her. Don't worry, please." Jason said while squeezing Nico's hand, trying to remain on task and the more upbeat of the two. Nico was right, however, there were too many mortals to even think about going into battle without having major ramifications. "Just look for anything odd."

"There's a group of girls strutting around in nothing but mini-skirts and bikini tops. Is that odd enough for you?"

"Nico…" At Jason's tired tone, Nico slumped, digging his hands into his pockets.

"Sorry, I just—"

"Hate crowds, loud noises, and unexpected change. I know. Look, let's just find the Mickey Backpack and—" Suddenly, there was a loud crash in the distance as the third building down's top floor's windows all exploded in a burst of orange flames. People screamed and began to run away as glass rained down on top of them.

"I say we start looking..." Nico said, pausing once what caused the fire to come into view.

Scales gleamed golden in the sunlight. Teeth glinted as a long reptilian tongue lapped over them. Sharply intelligent green eyes gazed out over the terrorized crowds. The drakon itself was easily the size of a house. It was Python; the enemy of Apollo, one of the most poisonous monsters Jason knew of. Jason felt his heart stutter as he watched it take another deep breath. Flames billowed out into the next floor. Those windows also exploded out on to the street.

"I'll distract him, you find the girl!" Jason said, kicking off into the air.

"Be careful!" Nico called up as he took off running to the building. He shielded his head as the heat surrounded him. People were rushing out around him and he heard sirens in the distance. He heard the drakon's furious growl as thunderclouds began to circle in the sky. He heard Jason's cry as thunder shook the building. There was a screeching sound as Nico froze up. He looked out the glass window and swallowed as one of Python's claws came thrusting through to scratch at the floor. The building's structure gave a low groan. Nico cursed. He was running out of time. He took off into the stairs.

There were only six floors in the building. The last two had already been either demolished or torn off. Judging by the grinding screeches that were shaking the walls, the fourth one was about to go. Nico's hand fell onto the hilt of his sword as he began to search the third floor.

Nico threw open doors, his movements clearly getting jerkier and more desperate as lightening nets lit through the sky. "Damn it Jason, if you don't keep yourself safe I'll—" He jumped when a loud crashing noise hit him. It sounded like a bomb was going off. He threw open a door as ceiling came crumbling down, giving way to a talon-laden claw.

Nico tried to calm his breathing as he surveyed the dark room. It was impossible to see anything. He took a hesitant step forward, uneasy with being in the dark. Suddenly, his foot hit against something soft. The lights flickered, dosing the room in an electric blue haze. Nico jumped back startled at seeing the half-monster corpse that lay on the ground before him. He had pulled out his sword on instinct. The creature before him was a woman, with blood running down her cheeks like tears. There were snakes around her waist, fashioned into almost a belt. They still moved sluggishly, as if they were trying to get away from their former mistress before she denigrated into sand. Nico frowned and reached a hand out to the closest one to him. That was when he noticed the burn scars. The monster's skin was black, making the charred wounds more difficult to see. Her entire face and torso had been mutilated. Her billowing, greasy hair was smoking. The wounds were electrical burns. Nico swallowed. Of course a child of Zeus would get the attention of the Great Python.

Nico felt the snake slither up his arm, apparently not caring that he was a son of the god of the underworld. This creature and her minions had to have been quite well acquainted with death and murder. "An Erinyes," He muttered to himself.

There was another crash, though this time it was in the room. One of the desks scooted back a few inches and there was a small gasp of fear. Nico rose to his feet, and walked over, making sure to at least make a little noise to signify where he was. The desk moved again. He walked around the wooden structure and knelt down. Emily Thomason looked up at him with wild and petrified eyes. Her hair was covered in plaster partials and there were scrapes running up her arms and legs. She had lost a shoe and her Mickey book-bag was torn open and frayed. "Emily?" Nico said, trying to keep his voice calm.

The girl cowered from him, trying to put on a brave face. "D-Don't come any closer." She said, shaking. She couldn't have been older than five. "I-I hurt that woman over there. I'll hurt you too!" Nico tensed when he heard another crash from the dragon.

"I don't want to hurt you." He said. The girl continued to glare at him with hard blue eyes that were quickly filling with tears.

"That's what th-they all said!" The girl hiccupped and continued to cower away from the man.

"We need to get out of here. That thing out there is trying to tear this building apart to get to you. We need to get away."

"Momma said to wait right _here_!" Nico bit his tongue at the girl's words.

"Emily, they evacuated the building."

"She'll come and find me!" There was another thunder- crash and the lights went out again. Emily screamed as the building groaned and shook again. She gripped her backpack tightly to her chest. "She'll come! She always does!"

"I'll take you to her, but we _have _to get out of here!" There was another crash and Nico watched as cracks began to form on the ceiling. Desperation began to fill his mind. Emily, however, now looked at him with a sort of innocent hope as she slowly got to her feet.

"You promise?"

"I promise! Now come _on_!" Nico held out his hand. Emily took it. He reached for a nearby shadow and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were on the sidewalk of the Chung King Road. Emily was gripping tightly to his hand. A furious roar lit the air and again, Nico froze. "Jason." He muttered. He looked down at the small girl who was looking up at him with far too trusting eyes. "Where is your home?"

"122B Wicklow Street." She said. Nico took a deep breath before he shadow-jumped again, this time in her apartment. "Look at me." He said, his voice quietly, "If anyone knocks on this door that you don't know, anyone at all, hurt them like you hurt the bad lady in your mom's office, okay?"

"Where are you going?" The girl said, clutching at his sleeve.

"I need to help someone."

"Don't leave me alone! I don't want to be alone!" Emily let go of his sleeve to cling to his leg.

Nico began to try to shake her off, "I can't take you back there!" Emily began to cry. The son of Hades only lasted for grand total of two seconds before lifting her into his arms and taking off again into the shadows.

Jason was beginning to feel like an annoying hornet, buzzing around the drakon's golden head, sending lightning bolts at it every time that he could gather the energy. All they seemed to be doing was make the beast angrier. Its scales were as thick as armor and as hard as steel. He was getting nowhere fast.

The creature finally grew tired of the annoyance buzzing around its head. Python turned its attention back to the building. Panic clawed at Jason's chest. Nico was still in there. _Nico was still in there._ "Come on!" He shouted at the sky, which rumbled in protest. He generated a windblast just strong enough to send the drakon skidding back a few feet. The monster roared at him, furious. He had to dart to the left in order to escape its jaws. "Come on, Nico, hurry." Jason muttered to himself under his breath. Python hissed at him and batted at him with its tail. It lifted a paw and crashed into another floor. Jason felt cold fear run through his body when he heard the groaning sound that the building made. The structure couldn't support this much damage and weight. "Nico!" Jason shouted, moving to fly forward to find his lover. But it was too late.

There was yet another, much louder crash as the monster's feet went through the third floor. It collapsed onto the already unbalanced structure. The walls went tumbling down on top of it. Python let out a loud cry as it was buried beneath the rubble.

Jason couldn't move. He just stayed there, hovering in mid-air, staring down at the building. He was frozen where he was. He didn't even see the drakon's tail coming at him until he was flying backwards, only to land spread-eagle on the closest brick wall. He tumbled to the ground and laid there.

Nico raced to where Jason was, his heart pounding in his throat. He couldn't hear and he couldn't see what was happening around him because Jason was on the ground, not moving, completely still, bleeding, turning pale and limp and no. No. No. No. No. NO. The son of Hades skidded to his knees, unconsciously shielding the other's body with his own. His hands shook as he grabbed at Jason's wrist. The rhythmic cadence of Jason's heartbeat nearly sent Nico into tears. Was he still shaking or was that the ground?

Emily came walking up, hesitance in her step. "Is he going to be okay, Mister?"

Nico swallowed as he surveyed the damage. Blunt force trauma to the head. Possible concussion. Two, no, three broken ribs from the initial hit. Possible punctured lung. Strained left arm, possibly broken. He needed to get him to a safe place. He needed to get him _home_. "I-I don't know." His voice was soft, even to his own ears. It was unsure and absolutely terrified.

Jason's vision was blurry when he tried to open his eyes. He reached out to stretch, before being jerked into reality when pain shot up his spine. He gave a low groan and relaxed back onto the bed. That was, until he remembered what happened. "Nico!" He shot up, almost immediately doubling over in torment as his body caught up with him.

"I wouldn't do that, Mister." A child's voice called out. Jason blinked rapidly, trying to clear his swimming vision. There was a small girl with a falling-apart Mickey Mouse backpack on the floor. She stopped coloring to look up at him with electrifying blue eyes. "Mr. Nico just went to sleep for the first time in a _long_ while." Jason frowned, following her gaze to the foot of her bed.

There was Nico, fast asleep, looking more gaunt and haggard than Jason had seen him be in months. The blond son of Zeus bent forward to gently tousle unruly black curls. The soft hairs bent underneath his fingers and sprung up from the cracks in between them. It was a reaction that Jason knew all too well. It was real. He let out a shaky sigh of relief and looked back down at the girl who was staring up at him.

Finally, she spoke up, "You guys are weird." She paused for a minute, looking down at her coloring book, "I like it. Mommy always says that weird people are more fun to be around than normal ones."

"Where is your mom?" Jason said. Normally, when they were taking a child to Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood, they would at least tell the parent what was going on.

Emily shrunk in upon herself, "I don't know. Mr. Nico said that he would help me find her, but then you got hurt and he forgot."

"Where was she when we found you?" Jason said. Normally there would be some sort of alert. The satyr would get in touch with the parent and would point them to where their child was.

"She was in the building too. She said that she was going to get help!" At those words the girl's face fell, "But she didn't come back."

"Oh," Jason muttered to himself, feeling uneasy. "Well, when Nico wakes up, we'll go look for her for you, okay?" Emily smiled.

Jason had a whole new reason for liking the evening. It was the only time of day when the world seemed quiet. Nico had been gone all day, hunting around for a Miss Tanya Thomason, so it had been up to Jason to keep Emily entertained. So, they had gone to the Science Center, aquarium, and Universal Studios, all before lunch time. Jason had no idea how little children had so much energy. By about two in the afternoon, he was ready to fall onto a park bench and take a nap. In fact, he tried to. But then a group of models turned Lamias decided that Emily would be a good afternoon snack.

As a result, by the time that the duo got home at six, all that Jason could bring himself to do was grill the girl up a grilled cheese. (He also got out the glass tea-pitcher that Percy's mom had gotten Nico when she found out that he liked sweet-tea, but put it right back where he found it when he realized that there was a _snake_ sleeping in it.) So, instead of making the girl tea, he hand her another set of coloring books. Once she was busy, he walk into his and Nico's room, and collapse onto bed. He must have dosed off, because when he woke up, there were soft finger's treading themselves through his hair and the clock read 11:52 pm. "Mmph, Nico?" A kiss was placed on the back of his neck as an answer. Something was wrong. He could feel it in the air. He tried to turn around to face the other man, wincing slightly at the dull throb. When he met Nico's eyes, the Italian was frowning.

"You're not supposed to be moving around so much. Doctor's orders."

"Emily's puppy-dog eyes negate any and all orders of reason. By the way, why is there a snake in the pitcher?"

"Did you hurt Poe?"

"Of course you brought home a pet serpent without even telling me." Jason sighed, burying his head into Nico's pillow. Nico was silent and still for a moment. Then he burrowed into Jason's chest. Jason frowned, "What's the matter?" He asked, wiggling for a moment so that he could rest his chin on the crest of Nico's head.

"I promised her that I would find her mother, Jason."

"How did it go?" Jason asked, already fearing the answer. The building collapse, which the mortal news said had started because of a bomb detonation had killed 13 people and injured many more.

Nico let out a shaky sigh, "She's in Elysium. I gave her a fast-pass so that she could get judged quickly and wouldn't have to wait in all of the lines."

"Oh," Jason breathed. It was the only thing that he could think to say.

Nico was just lying there, his face hidden from view as he continued to talk, "I promised her that I would help her find her, Jason. I promised her. I-I—" Again, he went silent. Jason dipped his head down to nuzzle at Nico's bangs.

"So that's why you haven't sent her to Camp Half-Blood." Jason muttered to himself. "What do you want to do?"

"I can't just leave her in the dark, Grace." Nico's voice was a growl, defensive and volatile.

"I didn't say that you should." Jason said, kissing the tip of Nico's ear.

"What do you think that I should do?" Nico asked, his voice quiet, tired, and more than slightly hopeless.

"Give her closure."

Jason was the one who was put in charge of waking Emily up. Nico was waiting for them in the living-room. He had a winter-coat on and was pulling on gloves. When he saw Emily, he nodded and dug through the closet. He pulled out a small coat and handed it to her. Jason raised an eyebrow. Nico frowned at him, "I knew where her house was and she needs a jacket." Jason could only smile at the other man's slight discomfort. In absolute silence, they left the apartment.

It didn't take that long to buy the McDonalds and head over to the Griffith Park. Emily was clinging to Nico's hand as she rubbed her eyes, "Are we going to see the zoo?" She asked him with a yawn.

"Not this time." Nico muttered, motioning for her to go to Jason.

The blond took her hand with a sigh and closed his eyes, "This is probably so illegal that Mercury will come to congratulate us." He muttered.

Nico gave no indication that he heard him; in fact, Jason jumped when he heard him speak, "Or Hermes. You never know." Nico held out his hand and with a flick, there was a patch of unearthed dirt. He poured in the food and drinks into the hole and began to chant. Within the minute, the park was filled with an eerie green light. Mist began to flood the area. Specters began to mill about, coming in and out of view. Emily hid behind her older half-brother. Even Jason had to admit that the whole thing was fairly terrifying.

Soon, there was one ghost who stood out from the rest. She was a young woman with long, curly brown hair that flowed freely around her shoulders. She was beautiful with pale eyes and skin. It was clear to Jason why Zeus would find interest in someone like her.

When she saw Emily, her face brightened and her small smile turned into a grin. The little girl seemed frozen in spot for a moment before she stumbled forward. "Momma?" She asked, her voice shakily. The woman nodded, her eyes growing sad and teary. Emily moved forward again, reaching out as if to touch the apparition. Nico put a hand on her shoulder. His eyes were as soft as Jason had ever seen them. "Talk as much as you want… just don't touch her." Emily stopped short for a minute, then nodded. The Ghost King walked over to Jason. The son of Zeus reached down to intertwine their hands. When Emily wasn't looking, he placed a kiss to the top of Nico's head.

By the time that they got to Camp Half-Blood, Emily was asleep on her feet. Jason handed her over to a yawning Conner and Travis. The brothers were dressed in matching pajama pants and looked like they hadn't gotten much sleep in the past week. Still, they managed to smile at the trio as they approached.

"Thanks for staying up, guys." Jason muttered to Travis as Conner crouched down to introduce himself to the girl. Emily smiled up at them, shyly. She didn't seem to want to let go of Nico's pants. She looked up at Nico.

"It's too cold. I want to stay with you guys."

Nico sighed and knelt down, "You'll be trained here, okay? It'll make sure that you never hurt anyone you don't want to."

"Can't you and Jason do that? These guys are weird." She looked pointedly over to the Stoll brothers, who were sticking their tongues out at each other over something petty.

"Your mom always said that weird people are more fun to be around than normal ones." Jason said, smiling down at her.

"I like your type of weird better." Emily said, her lips pursed.

"Then you can come and visit us over the summer. But soon, we're going to be back in school and it'd be hard to keep you entertained with stinky professors." Jason laughed at the look over disgust that came over Emily's face. She nodded and walked over to Travis, who grinned at his brother and pulled her away from him when Conner reached down to hold her other hand. Suddenly, Emily stopped and pulled away from the brothers. She looked back at the lone duo. She took off toward them, running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

She threw her arms around Nico's middle and buried her face into his stomach. Nico was rooted in his spot, frozen in shock. She began to speak. "Thanks for everything. Mommy really likes you! Thanks for finding her for me! Can I talk to her again during the summer?" The question snapped Nico out of his trance. He could only find it in himself to nod his head minutely. That small movement made a smile spread across the little girl's face. She hugged him tighter before running back to the sons of Hermes. She waved them goodbye as they took her to the Hermes cabin. That made Jason frown.

"She's a known child of Zeus, why are they—"

"I asked them to so she wouldn't be alone." Jason let out a breathy laugh at Nico's words. He reached out a hand.

"Let's go home." He said. Nico didn't even hesitate before connecting their hands. The son of Hade even leaned into Jason as he opened a portal. The blond looked down and frowned at the misted look that was in the Ghost King's eyes. He hadn't seen that look in a long time. He knew better than to say anything.

Once again, at some ungodly hour of the night, Jason awoke to fingers running through his hair. This time he didn't move. He simply laid still, waiting to feel what happened next. Nico was whispering in his ear, his voice so soft that it sounded like a lonely lullaby. "No one ever told me how hard it was to keep promises. For all those years, I wanted to hate Percy for not keeping Bianca safe. Now, I stood in his shoes, watching on a kid realized that the hope that they had in me was nothing. How does anyone manage to put faith in anyone?"

"Because some of those promises are kept." Jason muttered, blinking away sleep. Nico looked down at him with masked and slightly distrustful eyes. Jason sat up. "You gave Emily your word, and you kept it. She saw her mom again. She was happy when she left. There's nothing to beat yourself up for. Nico…" A thought crossed his mind. "Is that why you've not been sleeping?"

Nico pursed his lips, his dark eyes glinting. He said nothing, but he didn't need to at the moment. Jason sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "You haven't let anyone down. Not Emily, not me. Not now, not in the war with Gaea."

Nico breathe out and shuffled around, "I keep dreaming of the day that Percy got back." His eyes glinted again, gleaming black, his voice was quiet, "I keep thinking back to when he first told me about Bianca. For just a second, just one small sliver of time, I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to suffer and feel pain. Now, I look back on that and can only think…" Nico shook his head, his lips pressed tight together. It was clear that was all he was going to give about the subject. Jason understood. Instead of pressing he just wrapped his arms around the son of Hades, hesitantly at first to make sure that Nico was okay with the touch.

Nico seemed more than alright with the contact, as he leaned in to rest his head against Jason's collar bone. "How do you live with someone like me?" He muttered against sun-tanned skin.

"The same way you live with someone like me. We can only take it one day at a time."

Nico's hands wrapped around his stomach and Jason stayed still as he let the other breathe in his sent. "Can you make me just let it all go?" He whispered. The request hung in the night air.

"Do you want me to?" There was hesitance in Jason's reply.

"Would I ask you if I didn't?" There was the amount of Nico snark that Jason was used to. A thin black eyebrow lifted delicately as Nico pulled himself up and leaned closer. "I don't want to think."

"Then go to sleep." Jason said, letting a small smile come to his lips as he leaned down to nip at Nico's nose. The Ghost King jumped slightly, a shadow falling over his face. A chill fell over the room and Jason cursed himself. He had forgotten that Nico would put on masks to act as though everything was normal when something was bothering him. "I'm sorry." Jason said, placing a hesitant kiss to Nico's forehead.

"I don't want to sleep. I don't want to dream. I just want to not have to think." Nico muttered off to the side. Jason kissed him, running a hand down his cheek. Nico took a minute to process what was going on, but when he did, he began to kiss back with twice the fever that Jason had. The second child of Zeus found himself opening his mouth to an insistent tongue as skilled fingers crawled up his back and side. They trailed up his shirt, pulling it over his head with little difficulty. Jason only let the kiss be broken for the time that it took for Nico to unbutton his pajama shirt. Then they slotted back together, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Jason dragged one of his hands up the length of Nico's spine to curl in his hair while the other reached out to the bedside to fumble for the lubricant. At the sound of the bottle being uncapped, Nico let out a small keen and pulled their bodies closer together. He didn't care that he was resting in Jason's lap. He didn't notice that the entire lengths of their bodies were touching, or perhaps he did and wanted it to be so. Jason's hand travelled downward to reach into Nico's boxers. He wrapped the wet hand around the base of Nico's member and trailed his hand down to the tip, a touch too light and definitely too slow to be what Nico wanted.

The Ghost King growled and reconnected their lips. If the nips and bites were anything to go by, Jason knew that he had to hurry up, unless he wanted to lose his hand. He smiled and picked up speed, adding a slight twist to his grip as his fingers ran down the shaft. Soon, Nico was panting against Jason's shoulder, his cheeks hot and red. The son of Jupiter couldn't help the curl of possessiveness that ran through his body at the sight.

He placed his lips against Nico's ear, sending a shiver through the dark-haired man when he breathed. "How far do you want to go?" Nico didn't say anything. He didn't feel the need to say anything. He just kissed Jason with fingers gripping at blond hair, with their noses bumping together affectionately, with his brown eyes staring straight into blue. They didn't need words, not anymore. Nico just let his eyes fall shut as Jason began to nip at his neck. He tilted his head back when Jason leaned down to mouth at his navel. A small smile crossed his lips when Jason took his clean hand and intertwined their fingers.

Nico was the second to wake up, which well, hadn't happened in a while. The shower was running, so he turned over to look at the door, mentally debating the merits of getting up. He winced slightly at the pain that came from his lower back, but pushed it to the back of his mind. Slowly, he rose to his feet and stumbled out into the hallway, pulling the bed-sheet off with him. He made it into the bathroom and sat down on the bathmat. Jason's outline stopped what it was doing before it continued washing its hair. "How did you sleep?" Jason asked over the running water.

"I slept." Nico said, running a hand through his hair. It was then that something on his hand glinted, catching his eye. He looked down, holding his left hand out to the light. The ring was simply designed, with a golden exterior and a darker interior that was designed to look like a maze. It was made of what looked to be Imperial gold and Stygian Iron. It was simple, but it definitely hadn't been there before. "Grace," The room went quiet expect for the running water. "what is this?"

Jason's face poked out from behind the shower-curtain. When he noticed the ring he blushed lightly, "Today's the final day of Saturnalia, the 23ed. You place your presents by the person while they sleep."

"What is this?" Nico asked again, trying to keep his voice calm. He shuffled around in his sheet, feeling it slip off his shoulders. He couldn't bring himself to care. He just kept looking up at the former-Praetor. All that he could think of was the way that Jason bit his lip and turned slightly pink in the cheeks.

"A-A ring."

"Does it mean anything?"

"Do you want it to?" There was a shakiness in Jason's voice that Nico normally only heard in his words.

Nico was silent for a minute, his right hand coming up to twist the band on his left ring-finger. He licked at his lips, his eyes going down to look at the floor. His hands came up to rest at the base of his head as he tried to breathe normally. He faintly heard Jason clamor out of the shower. Soon, the blond was kneeling opposite him in a way that sent a pang of nostalgia running through his body. They had been in this same position almost exactly one year ago.

Just vaguely, he heard Jason speaking in an almost panicked whisper, "I not trying to push anything, I-I just thought that, well—I-I mean, you don't, I'm don't want—" Listening to Jason fumbling with words was off-putting enough to snap Nico out of his trance.

"Yes." Nico said, before he had even realized that he had spoken. "Yes," He repeated, "I want it to mean something, but…" The panicked gleam was back in Jason's eyes, "I don't have anything to give you."

The son of Jupiter visibly relaxed, resting his wet forehead against Nico's, "Just give me one of your old ones that you don't wear anymore. I don't care. I just—"

"My father is the god of wealth, and while he isn't particularly pleased with my choice in romantic partners, he will strike me dead if I don't spend an inordinate amount of money on an engagement ring. It's one of the things he's really strict about. I think it has something to do with the whole thing with Persephone." Nico trailed off, before his eyes flashed, "Give me an hour."

Jason had to smile, "I'd rather not let you go." He said, leaning into kiss Nico. Nico was the one who bridged the distance.

Once again, Percy and Annabeth's Christmas Party was crowded with demigods from both camps. The minute that Nico walked into the room, Andromeda threw herself into his arms. Nico lifted her up to press a kiss to her cheek. There was a smile on his lips as he spun her around on his hip. Her giggles and squeals of joy brought everyone's attention to the two newcomers. Hazel hugged her bother before she dragged him into the kitchen to help make desserts.

Piper appeared at Jason's side. "So, I've heard from a little bird that you two have had a fun couple of weeks." She looked pointedly at Reyna, who blushed and looked away. Piper smirked and blew a kiss in her girlfriend's direction.

Jason groaned, "Don't remind me." He said, running a hand through his hair, "I have a whole new respect for Percy and Annabeth."

Piper had to laugh at that, "That's not what I meant." She said indicating to his left ring-finger. A silver ring with a blue gemstone adorned it. Jason smiled and put the finger to his lips.

"Just wait until after dessert." He whispered before walking off to talk to the Stolls about how Emily was doing.


End file.
